Thanks for your post, it's appreciated.
The initial translation was done by the author himself, but was in a very approximate English, so we (essentially nutron) worked based on that and on the Polish text when the English text was too weird.

I hope the spirit is still there

Concerning the other titles you mention, who knows
They would all require a home-made English translation, with or without bitmaps modification... We are not against that (Dragon History and Soltys prove it) but obviously it requires more work, as well as developers volunteering to work on games they never saw before (and that's not obvious too).

Nevertheless, I'll contact LK Avalon to ask them the question. We'll see. But for sure (as usual) don't expect something in a short delay!

Concerning the memory usage: everything memory-related has been happily slayed, and the game is far more stable using ScummVM than using real DOS on fast machine, or DosBox (it randomly crashes using both). So good news: you don't need your audio tape anymore

Regards,
Strangerke

Tue Dec 20, 2011 9:00 am

Jinx1337

Joined: 29 Jun 2007
Posts: 144

It's more than fine!

I would lie if I said it conveys the original atmosphere - some things had to be rewritten/some names had to be rethought, as it'd be impossible to put then into English without making some people wonder "WTF is that all about".

Like I said, nearly every character / puzzle / solution is an old, Polish "redneck joke" with a touch of the former eastern-block attitude/general atmosphere. Hell, some of them are genuinly unfunny - also part of its charm!

Which is why the puzzles might (and most probably will) seem illogical to someone who ain't familiar with Polish language, that little bit of history and some of the communist "newspeak". And "Polish redneck" jokes, of course.

HOWEVER, the translation changes it into a very quirky, fun adventure game for everyone to enjoy. And I still chuckled frequently! You've done the best translation you could. And hell, if anything - it makes the game immortalized! And that's what counts the most.

Thanks again! I'm going to keep my fingers crossed for other LK Avalon titles, in the long future to come!

Tue Dec 20, 2011 3:29 pm

nutron

Joined: 27 Nov 2011
Posts: 4

I appreciate the kind words about the translation. I tell you though, there were times when I was quite confused about what the authors tried to convey to the user. Although being born and partially having grown up in a nearby post-communist country (Romania) I did understand the feel that the jokes tried to convey. Though, most are really lost in translation as they say. It really is quite a fun game, and hope many will enjoy it for what it is.

Thanks go to LK Avalon, Strangerke and the ScummVM team. Really the most cohesive FOSS group I've ever had the pleasure to work with.

Wed Dec 21, 2011 6:33 am

Smothermunchie

Joined: 30 Mar 2007
Posts: 96

quote: Which is why the puzzles might (and most probably will) seem illogical to someone who ain't familiar with Polish language, that little bit of history and some of the communist "newspeak". And "Polish redneck" jokes, of course.

Thank you for explaining why I couldn't solve so many of these puzzles on my own.

I don't feel nearly as stupid anymore.

Wed Dec 21, 2011 10:17 pm

Jinx1337

Joined: 29 Jun 2007
Posts: 144

Skaut Kwatermaster is quite similar with its humor and atmosphere.

However, LK Avalon's TRUE masterpiece is - without the tiniest hint of doubt - the Myst-like A.D. 2044 (first Polish CD game, as far as I recall it).

It is set in the world of a classic Polish sci-fi movie from the communism times, called "Seksmisja" (Sexmission); it tells a story of a future world, governed by women and women alone, where men are extinct.

The movie - a good piece of cool sci-fi (with a solid dose of comedy) - is also a tongue-in-cheek, high-budget, sly, clever and symbolic criticism of communism itself (which somehow managed to go past the censorship, being made in the post-Stalin times).